Blogging: Time to get back on track
It’s that time again. The New Year. I’ve never quite caught on to the excitement and rejuvenation some people feel when one year ends and another starts. So, it might not surprise you that I don’t have much of a history of making grand New Year’s resolutions.
With that said, I am acutely aware of the many opportunities for self improvement in the various areas of my life, and one such area is blogging. I’m a believer in blogs and how they can help marine industry executives connect with each other and their customers. However, when my schedule started to really tighten up this past summer with preparations for the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo and the Top 100 Dealers Gala, I convinced myself of the excuse we all make at one point in our lives or another: I just don’t have time.
Well, a lame excuse it has been. The truth is: blogging doesn’t take that much time. That’s the beauty of it. And it IS an important strategy for our industry. If you’ve tried it and convinced yourself that it doesn’t matter, that’s probably because you haven’t been doing it often enough to build up a community of loyal readers.
So, I’m getting back on track with blogging, and if you’re like me and have fallen off the blog bandwagon, I suggest you consider giving it another go too. Or perhaps you’ve never blogged. Well, it’s not tough. In fact, here are some pointers I picked up today in a HubSpot blog.
1. Stop Worrying About Length: People reading your blog are probably just as busy as you are. Give them some info that you think fulfills the reason they decided to read your blog in the first place (and hopefully fulfills your goals in regards to the blog) and then move on to the next item on your to-do list.
2. Answer a Common Question: Think about the questions you get from your blog audience on a regular basis and provide an answer in your blog. For example, if you’re a boat dealer writing a blog for boat owners, give them a tip on docking or boat maintenance. You already know this stuff, so no research is required.
3. Publish videos: A blog doesn’t have to be in writing. If you’re not a writer, but you’re handy with a video camera, that’s even better. Human beings are visual creatures, and your “readers” will appreciate seeing the content you’re sharing with them for themselves.
Want more tips? Click here for all 12 pointers. In the meantime, good luck on your next foray into blogging – or whatever area of your life you may have resolved to improve. Feel like sharing your marine industry New Year’s Resolution? We welcome your comments below.
Ms. Walz,
I would like to suggest that the real issue with blogging is not that you–the blogger–does not have time to write, it is that we–the readers–do not have time to read. At least if there is no content. Case in point–the colum above consists of 35 lines on the page, of which only 9 are actually on the subject (writing blogs). Nearly three fourths of the lines are about you–how busy you are, how comitted you are to blogging, New Years resolutions, etc. (OK, I know, the lines on the lower part of the page are longer tan than those at the top so the percentages are not quite right, but the point is we had to read through four paragraphs of self-reflection before getting to the topic, such as it is.) I subsequently read two blogs by Mr Davin that had no content whatsoever. This is the problem with blogging–it’s usually just a format for self-reflection. As, I might add, are trade journal editorial columns, all too often.
I’m reading your materials in hopes of finding some good guidelines for doing a blog as a form of newsletter, quick and entirely fact filled. If your current policy of writing about yourselves and your publication and all that is working for you, good for you, carry on. For me, if I sample a blog and it doesn’t have solid useful information first time and every time, I’ll pass.